Every year after Thanksgiving dinner, when the guests are gone and we’re scrubbing the last of the dishes, my family and I go over the meal in detail. What did we all scoop up seconds of, and what did we push to the sides of our plates? What would we make again next year, and what needs to go back to the drawing board?

At this point we’ve pretty much got the turkey (grilled), mashed potatoes (garlicky), and dinner rolls on lock. But every year, we’re not entirely sold on our sweet potato recipe, the vegetable side dish, and, most importantly, the stuffing. Why can’t we seem to master the perfect stuffing?

Honestly, I think we play it too safe. Switching to cornbread is too sharp of a pivot, and with so many vegetarians in our family, sausage is out of the question. But unlike the mashed potatoes and the dinner rolls, it feels like stuffing is a place where we can have a little fun.

That’s why this year I’m proposing a wild mushroom stuffing, which I’m confident will please both the stuffing purists (there’s still celery and parsley and thyme!) and the adventurous eaters alike. It’s so good, you won’t want to wait until Thanksgiving to eat it.

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You probably think I’m rude when I sneak away from the table, taking a few plates to the kitchen, trying and failing to go unnoticed. You probably think I won’t let you help because I’m too uptight about the way things are done. (You would have been right about that 10 years ago, but I’ve recovered, and will happily let other people clean these days.) Worst of all, it might seem like I want the party to end, and for you to go home.

But none of that would be true. I don’t want you to help with the dishes, but it has nothing to do with any of that.

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Pizza is a never-ending source of controversy. Fights about the superiority of Neapolitan over New York-style, or whether Detroit’s thick crusts are preferable to Chicago’s deep-dish seem quaint in comparison to our now annual arguments about what’s acceptable to put on any kind of dough. If you thought it couldn’t get more silly than the pineapple topping fight of 2017, strap in: In 2018, we’re seeing a backyard barbecue staple being spread in lieu of marinara.

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You’ll almost never find our kitchens without a can or two of black beans stocked in the pantry. This versatile ingredient can be used in so many different ways. From soups and chilis to enchiladas and salads, the possibilities are seemingly endless. We chose our 20 favorite black bean recipes to get you started with something new.

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Fact: Cleaning up as I go is a tough thing for me. I’m also prone to spills. By the time I’m done with a cooking or baking project, it usually looks like a bomb went off in my kitchen.

Because I’m innately a messy cook, many of the recipes I’ve ripped out of magazines or borrowed from my mom often end up coated in flour or covered in some kind of liquid that makes the ink run. (Sorry, mom.) I also like to use recipes that I find online, and few things make me more nervous than bringing my phone, tablet, or laptop into my kitchen. Don’t even get me started on the state of my cookbooks. (Those five pages are stuck together from now on? Cool, I didn’t want to make that gooey chocolate cake, anyway!)

So, yeah, I could use some help.

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Chickpeas are an invaluable pantry staple that I have stocked in my kitchen at all times. We already know they can be blitzed into hummus, roasted into a crunchy snack, or used as an easy salad booster, but that is just the beginning, friends. If you’ve got a can of chickpeas on hand, then you’ve got the start to quite a few easy, satisfying weeknight dinners.

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Back in 2017, I started to notice a new kitchen color trend emerging. I never expected it and I certainly didn’t expect it to still be cool in 2018. Any guesses? The photo above is a big hint. The color: mint green!

Mint green — a barely there, optimistic, soothing hue — works well in the kitchen because it’s a color reminiscent of a sweet confection. Here are some different ways in which I’ve seen mint green used in the kitchen recently.

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It’s time to add humble russet potatoes to the list of staples you should be making in your Instant Pot. They cook up tender and ultra-creamy just the way you love, but in a fraction of the time required with the oven. It’s a meal prep miracle, and the best solution to making baked potatoes on a weeknight. Top them with a pat of butter or dollop of sour cream for a quick side, or whip up your favorite filling to turn them into a quick dinner.

Ready for the simple potato-cooking method you’ll use over and over again?

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Alternative meat and non-dairy items might be having a moment at the grocery store, but according to a recent study by the British University of Southampton, men are still “embarrassed” to order meatless options.

Inspired by the “major global and environmental health challenges” caused by overconsumption of animal products, Man Food Project Bristol surveyed 22 men (a very small sample size) with various relationships to meat: a few were exploring vegetarianism, others were on economically restricted diets, and the rest wanted to build muscle. In most cases, regardless of their reasons for making their food choices, the men expressed feeling embarrassment and shame around being seen ordering a steak-free salad.

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Picture this: You’re doing your weekly grocery shop and there’s a great deal on a family pack of chicken thighs. And now that you’re looking in the meat section, you were thinking maybe you’d have a cookout this weekend and the ground beef is on sale. And you might as well stock up on buns because, well, it’s still summer-ish and you need buns.

Somehow you walk out of the store with more than enough to feed you, your family, and then some. You’re still feeling pretty good though — until you get home and you are hit with that sinking feeling that comes from knowing that you can’t possibly eat everything before it goes bad. No worries, though, right? That’s what the freezer is for.

But what if those thighs come out covered in ice and freezer burn? Are they still safe to eat? We investigated.

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